Moth Menagerie

I've never really thought of moths except to get annoyed at the ones that flutter around lights and sometimes fly straight into you if you are close to the light that they are attracted to you. The moths I generally see are rather dull and boring, so I have always thought of them as the poor cousins of the butterfly. However, as you can see here, moths come in a variety of colors and patterns - so much so, I have had to change my mind about moths - while they will probably never have the same prestige as a pretty butterfly, I now know that they can be just as beautiful.

Menacing Muskoxen

Muskoxen are Arctic mammals which are named after the smell given off by the males to attract females during the mating season. This does not make them menacing, but they do have a way of defending the herd when there is danger, and this could definitely be menacing to any predator who is approaching. They form a defensive circle around the calves and face outwards, with the males at the front. I would find this menacing, wouldn't you?

Cute Monkey Gifts

Who doesn't love monkeys? Monkeys are cute, mischievous and cheeky. They are very inquisitive in nature, which gets them in to all sorts of trouble and in some ways they remind us of ourselves. Below we are featuring a few of our favorite gifts featuring monkeys which are available from Zazzle. See more monkey gifts at Zazzle.

Mammoth Mammoths

Mammoths are the extinct relations of the modern day elephants - relations in the fact that their genus, mammuthus, belongs to the same family Elephantidae as the elephants we know and love today. Mammoths were large prehistoric creatures, which has meant the term "mammoth" is now used to describe something which is very big, and I am sure that in the flesh they were not as cute and sweet as they are portrayed below. Given that we will never see one in the flesh, we can happily believe they really are that cute!

Check out Mammoth Posters online at zazzle

Mute Swan

Mute swan is not really a great name for such a beautiful bird - apparently it was given this name as it was not as vocal as other species of Swan, but I can't help think that the individual who gave this bird its name was desperately lacking in imagination. Perhaps this individual had already used all of their creative thoughts in naming other birds and animals and had got to the stage where they were clutching at straws. What would you have called this beautiful creature if given the chance to give it a name to match its grace and elegance?

Mute Swan Post Card by pawtography

Meerkat Mobs

Mobs, gangs and clans - these are the words used when referring to a group of meerkats. Really? Anyone would think we were referring to a terrifying group of animals that are terrorising other animals or even your local neighbourhood - making us all too scared to come out at night. It certainly doesn't make you think of a meerkat, does it? I think whoever decided a group of meerkats would be referred to as a mob or gang possibly had never seen these animals before or was having a laugh.

Mysterious Manatee

Manatees are a large aquatic mammal and are sometimes referred to as sea cows. There are three species of manatees and all are considered vulnerable to extinction. Manatees tend to live in shallow waters and they tend to be solitary creatures.

They are closely related to dugongs, although they have a number of differences including their shorter noses and the shape of their tails.

Moroccan Mules

Mules are used throughout the world as beasts of burden, including parts of Asia, Africa and Central and South America. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse and the variations amongst mules is a direct result of their individual lineage.

Below is a poster featuring Moroccan mules. In 2003, a mule in Morocco made headlines throughout the world as a female mule gave birth to a colt. The reason this made headlines is that mules, as a whole, are infertile. There are only as few as 60 documented incidents of a female mule giving birth. There are no documented incidents of a male mule being able to sire any offspring, so it is believed that all male mules are infertile.

Moroccan Mule Poster by DigitalDreambuilder

Magnificent Macaws

Macaws belong to the Psittacidae family , which are the true parrots and there are 19 species of macaws, which includes extinct and critically endangered species. Two of these species are extinct and a further two are believed to be extinct in the wild.

Macaws are often known for their colorful plumage and they also have long tails. While many macaws are large in size, some species are not much larger than some parakeets. Macaws are native to Mexico, Central America and South America.

Perhaps the best known macaw is the Scarlet Macaw with its magnificent colors. It is native to South America and is found in the rainforests there. Due to the popularity of this bird for the cage/pet inductry, the Scarlet Macaw has been listed as endangered.

Other species include the blue and gold macaw and the hyacinth macaw - all have brilliant colors in their feathers. It is such a pity that their beauty is one the cause of their endangered status throughout the world.

When is a Blackbird a Merle?

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of a merle. I'm not sure whether that's something I should proudly announce in public or whether many other people would be in the same boat - nonetheless, it's true.

So what is a merle? Basically merle is another name for the common blackbird, which comes from the Latin for Blackbird, Turdus merula - turdus meaning thrush (the Blackbird is a species of true thrush) and merula meaning blackbird. In France it is called a merle and in Scotland it is called a merl. In North America, they are also often referred to as the Eurasian Blackbird.

young merle poster by Jicha_photo

The Mighty Mink

The mink belongs to the family Mustelidae in the animal kingdom, which includes other animals such as weasels and ferrets. There are two living species of mink which is the American Mink, as pictured below and the European mink.

The fur of the American mink has been prized for clothing, with it often being the fur choice for women over the years. More recently, there has been a distinct decline in fur clothing which is a direct result of the animal activism that occurred in the 1990s.

Vintage American Minks v2 Print by OldeWorldGifts
See other mink poster prints online at zazzle.com

American minks can often be found throughout Europe due to the actions of animal rights activists who released many minks from the farms where they were being reared for their fur. The American mink is more hardy than the European mink and it has contributed to the decline of the numbers of European mink and has been classed as invasive.

Mink Photo Posters by funnaturephotography
Browse Mink Posters

Menacing Mosquitos

Mosquitoes are a family of small flies - in fact their name was taken from Spanish or Portuguese which means "little fly". There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes  and not all of them are the type that buzz around your head, especially your ears, as your are trying to get to sleep at night. (There is nothing worse when trying to get to sleep and you can hear that low buzz of a mosquito flying around, only to hear it suddenly stop. Then you know it has landed and is ready to suck your blood!)

Mosquitoes are known to spread diseases among humans, such as the very deadly malaria, and other species spread diseases among animals too. It is these species of mosquitoes that I am referring to here. No mosquitoes wanted in my house!

mosquitos prohibited! refrigerator magnets by greendeer
View other kitchen magnets at zazzle.com

Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy Ducks (also known as Cairina moschata) are large ducks which are native to Mexico, Central, and South America. They are large ducks and the females grow to roughly half the males' size. They are generally black and white in color but there is considerable variations in the amount of each color. The color of their bills can also be variable - they can be yellow, pink, black or any combination of these colors.

See more Muscovy Gifts and Posters at zazzle.com

Monkeys in the Wild

Many of us have seen monkeys up close, mostly in zoos, rarely out in the wild, unless you have been fortunate enough to travel to parts of the world where monkeys and humans meet. This often occurs in temples in India, China and Japan, for example, where the monkeys are often revered and allowed to take residence in this special places.

Even less of us have had the opportunity to see monkeys out in the wild, where humans have yet to make their real mark, in the forests and other monkey habitats throughout the world. Below are just a few images of monkeys taken in the wild - in the forests of Costa Rico.

Browse for Monkey Posters online at Zazzle.com

Lion Shield

Lions are popular in the use of heraldry and symbolize royalty, bravery and strength and have a long history of being used in this way, through to ancient history. Many coats of arms around the world, use the lion - including England, Scotland, Spain, Finland and many many more. It is no surprise that the coat of arms for each of the countries belonging to the United Kingdom have the lion, as it is considered the national symbol for British people.

Metal Shield Lion Print by Linda_MN
Design a poster at zazzle.com

Lemurs

Lemurs belong to the primate order and are native to Madagascar and there are nearly 100 species of lemurs today. Prior to humans arriving on Madagascar approximately 2000 years ago, there were many more species of lemurs. Even today, many of the species of lemurs are threatened with extinction as they have to adapt to the loss of their habitat (they now only have 10% of the area to live in they once had) and they are also hunted, which has had a significant impact on their survival in Madagascar.

Ring-tailed lemur photograph poster by Funcards
Browse through more Lemur Posters at Zazzle.com

There is great variety and diversity across the species of lemurs. The world's smallest primate, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, is a lemur and at one time in recent history one of  the largest primate was also a lemur, although now extinct. They share many traits of the ancestral primates but they evolved independently on Madagascar.

Lovely Llamas

Llamas are a species of camelids which are found as domesticated animals in South America and they belong to the same family as the camels. Llamas have been domesticated for their meat, wool and used for transporting materials for a long time in South American history.

Llamas have a long history in many Andean cultures. The Moche people, who were in the area prior to the Incas, used llamas in the burials of distinguished people in their society. They would use whole llamas or parts of llamas in these burials as offerings. Ceramics from the period of the Moche culture, clearly depict llamas at that time.

Lovely Llama Print by misskitteh
See more Llama Posters on zazzle.

Llamas also played an important role in the Incan culture. Llama figures were often buried with Incan nobility, similarly to the use in burials with the Moche people. They were used as beasts of burden to carry goods and belongings. The fibers and meat of the llama was also used by the Incans.